Justification+of+ICT+tools


 * Justification of ICT Tools & Social Constructivism **

The ICT tools used in this WebQuest have two principle purposes. The first are those that have been used to construct the WebQuest (teaching/preparation tools), and the second being those that the students utilise for their learning (learning tools) along their WebQuest journey. A number of these utilise the same technology but for these obviously different uses. Use of the TPACK (Technological and Pedagogical Knowledge) framework guided us in decision-making of the most appropriate tools to optimise students’ learning, and how best to modify and utilise ICT tools that were not primarily designed for pedagogical purposes (Mishra & Koehler, 2009).

Table 1: List of the ICT tools that we have used in the WebQuest.


 * ** Teaching/Preparation Tools ** || ** Learning Tools **  ||
 * Wikispaces || Podcast/Garage Band  ||
 * Movie Maker || Youtube/Web videos  ||
 * <span style="color: #5f1c1c; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">On–line videos (Gardening Australia/Youtube) || <span style="display: block; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #5f1c1c; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">On-line Brainstorm (Bubbl)  ||
 * <span style="display: block; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #5f1c1c; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">Digital images || <span style="display: block; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #5f1c1c; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">Word Doc – Find a Word  ||
 * <span style="display: block; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #5f1c1c; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">Microsoft Publisher || <span style="display: block; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #5f1c1c; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">Publisher – Match the symbols  ||
 * <span style="display: block; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #5f1c1c; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">Microsoft Word || <span style="display: block; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #5f1c1c; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">Inspiration – Concept Map  ||

<span style="color: #5f1c1c; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">We were also informed by Bloom’s Taxonomy and Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence framework to ensure development of higher order thinking, and to cater to the diverse learning styles between students. The following table shows how various ICTs were selected to address varied learning styles. <span style="color: #5f1c1c; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Table 2: ICTs and Multiple Intelligences


 * <span style="color: #5f1c1c; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">** ICTs ** || <span style="color: #5f1c1c; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">** Multiple Intelligences ** ||
 * <span style="color: #5f1c1c; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Movie Maker || <span style="color: #5f1c1c; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Visual/Spatial/Verbal/Linguistic ||
 * <span style="color: #5f1c1c; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Online videos || <span style="color: #5f1c1c; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Visual/Spatial/Verbal/Linguistic/Naturalist ||
 * <span style="color: #5f1c1c; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Digital images || <span style="color: #5f1c1c; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Visual/Spatial ||
 * <span style="color: #5f1c1c; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Podcast/Garage band || <span style="color: #5f1c1c; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Verbal/Linguistic ||
 * <span style="color: #5f1c1c; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Bubbl. Brainstorm || <span style="color: #5f1c1c; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Visual/Spatial ||
 * <span style="color: #5f1c1c; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Find a Word (Doc) || <span style="color: #5f1c1c; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Visual/Spatial ||
 * <span style="color: #5f1c1c; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Match the Symbols (Pub) || <span style="color: #5f1c1c; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Logical/Mathematical ||
 * <span style="color: #5f1c1c; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Inspiration || <span style="color: #5f1c1c; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Visual/spatial ||

Our WebQuest was designed to embrace the social constructivist approach to teaching and learning, with the incorporation of small, interactive, group work. We strongly believe that students learn better in an authentic, social atmosphere so they can construct their own learning.

<span style="color: #5f1c1c; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Mishra, P and Koehler, M (2009) //Too Cool for School? No way!,// Learning and Leading with Technology, May, pp 15-18